What is the best way to tell a pet owner that you don't feel their pet is a good fit for you and you don't want to book the stay?

I very rarely turn people down because I have a lot of dog knowledge and feel confident handling a variety of doggie issues. For me, how I turn someone down would depend entirely on the reason I was turning them down. In general, I tend to lean towards taking the responsibility upon myself instead of blaming the owner or the dog, something like "honestly, I don't feel like I have enough experience to be able to make sure your dog has a comfortable stay. Sure, he/she would probably be fine, but I would rather he/she have a great time, and I don't feel like I can provide that." You can mention specific issues that you don't feel qualified to handle if you'd like to be transparent. In the end, it just comes down to putting your foot down gently but firmly and standing your ground. If you don't want to take the dog, then don't. I would prefer to offer a reason, but honestly you don't even need to. You can just say "I actually don't think I'm a good fit for your pup at this point. Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me."

Be honest and say that you don't feel 100% comfortable with the dog and for that reason alone you have to regretfully decline. You can complement the dog and tell the owner that due to the nature of the job and being alone with the dog, when it comes to these kinds of situations you have to stick to your gut feeling, it's nothing personal. Most people can respect that. If they can't, then even more reason not to book.

Amen to Jean's point! Do not feel obligated to give a reason for declining the request. I have a hard time saying "No," and when I do, I feel I owe the owner an explanation. While courteous, it's not necessary.

When I decline, I always try to first say something positive about their dog. Even if we haven't met, I can say something like, "We've never had a Boston Terrier at the house before! That certainly would be fun!", before declining due to a scheduling conflict. If I want to decline because of the dog, I try to "fault" my program, not the dog: "my Program isn't the best fit for FiFi..." versus, "FiFi isn't a good fit for my Program."

I have dogs of my own and if the owner brings a dog that is too large for my limits (but has said otherwise because I tell them ahead of time of my limits but some people are not honest) or if they are aggressive towards other dogs, we will not watch them. I just kindly tell them that I do not feel that their dog would do well in our home but that another Rover sitter might be better suited.

My first priority is to keep my dogs and other Rover dogs safe and if there is any type of issues, I will turn them down. Just be nice about it and most people understand. Those that have dogs that do not do well with other dogs often already know that and just want to see how their dog will do..."just in case".

PLEASE HELP. .... I love the doggie, but not the owner. I have watched the dog multiple times, as it is a lovely dog. Customer relationship with the dog owner is not the best. I didn't think too much of it until just recently. Pet owner became demnading and had unfair expectations of me as a petsitter. I politely declined the last 2 bookings, but customer keeps coming back 😞. I have decided to sadly not take this doggie again. I don't want to risk a bad review because she always has something to complain about. But I don't know how to tell client without any confrontation, or inpoliteness. I have a 5 star rating with lots of reviews and wish to keep it that way. I appreciate your help. Thank you so much 🙏

I haven't been a rover sitter for very long, but the one thing I look for in a Meet and Greet is if my dog gets along well with the dog(s) I would be caring for. If they don't settle down after the initial "get acquainted" rituals, I'm not comfortable accepting the request. At that point it is easy to decline because the owners can see there is tension between the dogs. Since I've had a variety of dogs throughout my life I am pretty confident in my ability to deal with different dog personalities/traits and haven't come across a situation where I've had to decline for that reason. If you meet a dog that makes you uncomfortable or you believe is too much for you to handle, then I agree with Jean: just tell the owner you don't think you are a good fit for their dog at this point in time. If you feel you must give a reason, tell the owners of a high-energy dog that you are more comfortable with laid-back dogs (or vice versa). Make a statement that is somewhat generic but puts the onus on you and not on their dog.